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Baroque · sonata

Keyboard Sonata in G major, K. 455

Domenico Scarlatti · Level 8, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

Keyboard Sonata in G major, K. 455 is a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti from the Baroque era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 8, an estimate.

On this page
  • sonata
  • Baroque
  • playful

Also known as L.209; P.354.

History

Scarlatti's G-major K. 455 is a single Allegro movement for keyboard. The brief sonata gives a player a chance to make quick gestures sound conversational, with each return of an idea answering what came before.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. Wide attacks receive descending replies

    Octave-spaced gestures meet stepped lower notes and falling upper pairs. Hear the dialogue across their registers.

  2. Wider runs reach a held close

    The first section expands through register runs before held sound. Follow the motion into its release.

  3. Repeated cells travel above sustained support

    Upper repeated-note cells move through changing pitch regions while lower sound holds. Hear both layers without multiplying the local encoded pattern into section visits.

  4. A familiar pattern gathers toward G

    Opening-related repetitions develop into runs and paired responses. Hear the last movement settle into the long G close.

How to practise it

Make the octave-displaced D calls clear above the steady lower walk.

  1. Locate both Ds silently, then play the quarter-note call and count through the rest into D/E/C.
  2. Play the lower quarter line with one steady pulse, then add the upper D calls without changing that walk.

How hard is it

Level 8, estimated

Quick bright figurations need evenness, precise coordination and relaxed control of repeated gestures.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Domenico Scarlatti, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
Sonata journeys
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
Source
mutopiaproject.org
Credit
“Keyboard Sonata in G Major” by D. Scarlatti (1685 to 1757). Mutopia edition maintained by Knute Snortum. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2104. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Changes to the supplied file: none; any later conversion or edit must be disclosed separately.

More by Domenico Scarlatti

  1. Keyboard Sonata in D minor, K. 32 / L. 423 (Aria)Level 3, estimatedWith Maestro
  2. Keyboard Sonata in B minor, K. 87Level 6, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Sonata in B minor, K. 27Level 7, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Make the octave-displaced D calls clear above the steady lower walk.

Practise it in PlayPiano